KISSIMMEE, FLA. — Pitcher Shawn Chacon and the Houston Astros agreed Wednesday to a $2 million, one-year contract.
The 30-year-old right-hander, a former standout from Greeley Central High School, split time as a starter and reliever with Pittsburgh in 2007, going 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA and one save in 64 appearances. He has a career record of 43-58 and a 4.98 ERA with 36 saves with Colorado (2001-05), the New York Yankees (2005-06) and the Pirates (2006-07).
Houston manager Cecil Cooper plans to use Chacon as a starter rather than as a reliever. Behind ace Roy Oswalt, Chacon will compete for a spot in the rotation with Brandon Backe, Woody Williams, Wandy Rodriguez and Chris Sampson, among others.
“He’s going to be in the mix,” Cooper said. “He’ll just be a starter. At this point in time, that’s the way we’re looking at it.” Chacon was an NL All-Star for Colorado in 2003, finishing 11-8 with a 4.60 ERA in 23 starts. He finished ninth in the NL with 35 saves the following year, the second-highest single-season save total in Rockies history.
“Shawn gives us another experienced arm to add to our mix,” general manager Ed Wade said. “I know that he had better financial packages out there, but Shawn thinks we can win, and he wants to be part of what we have here. We’ll put him into the competition for a spot in the rotation and let him battle it out.”
